Building an airstrip can be one of the most cost effective ways to reduce your aerial spraying costs. As explained earlier, aircraft have a very high hourly charge out rate. By reducing the number of hours that it takes to do your job, you are reducing the costs. If an aircraft has to travel back to an airstrip this adds to your spray bill.

An example: The nearest airstrip to your farm is 20km away. The aircraft must travel at least 40km for each load. This equates to an additional 13 minutes for each load. If the load size is 60Ha this equates to $5.50 per hectare increased cost.

An airstrip can be as simple as a cleared area in one of your paddocks or it can be a dedicated all weather airstrip. These are the factors you should consider

Frequency of use: Do you use an aircraft often? If so you can afford to put some effort into providing an airstrip if not you will be looking at a simpler solution. Consider some of the following

Use a flat hard paddock for the occasional use

Use an existing road on your farm. This saves development costs.

Share an airstrip with neighbours

Weather: If you plan to use the strip after wet weather you will need to make sure that the aircraft can use it then as well.

Access: We need to bring our loading vehicles in as well so make sure that it has an all weather road

Water: We will need water to spray. Our trucks cannot carry enough water so you have to supply it at the strip. You can cart it with a water trailer or have an on site tank and water supply.

Nuisance value. Aircraft create noise and blow dust when using an airstrip. Consider your neighbours when positioning an airstrip as we will not use it if it creates noise or dust complaints.

Consider safety. We operate aircraft worth millions of dollars and will not risk them on sub standard airstrips. Hazards such as powerlines, trees, terrain need to be considered. Check out the recommended dimensions diagram and please contact us for advice before spending a lot of time and effort on an airstrip